6-16-02 - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien Center, NY

review submisions to me at dws@netspace.org or dws@gadiel.com

Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 15:28:41 -0400
From: Snowflakesand@aol.com
Subject: show reciew for Darien Lake 6-16

Darien Lake Performing Arts Center: June 16, 2002


Pre:Lot So here it is, Darien Lake, a beautiful drive through the surreal fog and misty mountains.  
Im psyched, its a little drippy out but a few raindrops never hurt.  We arrive at the lot at about
four o'clock and the concert parking isnt open up so we chill inderneath a shelter and talk about
the tour, Chalkdust->Wilson->Chalkdust, Veggie burrito's, trey's kids, Tony Markellis, Oswego and
the last times that Phish came to Darien Lake.  I walked in last year and caught an amazing show.  
They had the screen on were showing pictures of blue mushrooms during Loving Cup and Kuroda were
sick through the rain.  The first time phish came The Merry Pranksters showed up and Colonel
Forbin's Ascent showed what would hapenn if "eaten too much acid twenty years later"  "The Funk
was too deep"  "Its really fun playing underneath this huge tent"  The sound is beautiful a little
echoey but i was psyched to hear Tony and Russell, We went and got our tickets and realized about
twenty minutes later that we bought tickets to the amuzement park but not the concert.  We had to
take them back.  The girls that sold them too us said that they couldnt refund our money or
exchange the tickets.  " You can come back and use them"  sure.  So after standing at the ticket
line for a couple of minutes me and my friend tried to sell them to people walking in the theme
park.  Sunday 6:30 ish drizzly.  No one wanted them.  After getting really frustrated we bought
trey tickets and were broke.  I decided I had to have money to go shopping in shakedown, so I went
and talked to the sweetest old lady in the season pass office and told her what had happened I
looked like I was about to cry.  In no time she came back and we told her we would buy her a cop
of joe.  She said she wanted a hug and man I hugged her becuase she made my day.  I had my money
back, trey tickets, and was headed towards the lots.

 Lot:Shakedown:  After walking around for twenty I ran into my buddies I went on tour last year
with.  They went to Cleveland and Pittsburgh.  We chatted for a while and one of there buddies
pointed me to makisupa policeman and i scored.  So after watchin phunky girls walking around,
dreadlocks, pit bulls, and puppies.  I felt at ease, I was content.  We watched some police bust
into someone's van and busted them with a jar and a baggy. It always sucks seeing people gettin'
busted it was time we head in.  I looked at my ticket and realized something amazing I Had Seats!!
I thought I had lawn seats but as it turned out that they didnt sell any.

Pre:Set1.  Everyone had seats!!  I was in Section 200.  The crowd started cheering when someone
was tuning in treys guitar. There was also enormous cheers like they were comingon to no avail.  
The crowd was readt tp be pumped.  After a little bit of watching the percussionist run around on
the side of the stage the huge roar woke me up and Trey was raising his cup for cheers.  Simple
Twist Up Dave !! A standard opener this tour and was quite the funk tune.  this song was
soundchecked and so was push on til the day.  What a twist up day!!!  treys guitar sounded very
nice and everyone was super tight!!  We were getting a little taste of energy at the end, and
ACTING LIKE AN ANGEL another standard set1 song2, but this was a little groovier than last years,
cyro and ray, with "the truth" and the horns were so latiny that the groove was coming through,
trey was getting into it and a couple of yells were heard from him.

SIDEWALKS OF SAN FRANCISCO The band is tight, the groove is on and the small echo through this
place is amazing the crowd was into it so much and everyone was slamming!!  Also there was some
girls just staring at trey really wide eyed in true ecstacy Almost sounded Bob Marley like.

PUSH ON TIL THE DAY~!!!  i love this song so much!!  I love the climax and most of all I love
where the groove comes through and tonys bass throws the energy through a loop.  His bass wasnt as
profound on this song as it usually is , but the echo in the place was really took a new throw on
his bass.  Why is he now sitting behind the horns?  I know on a couple of tracks he wasnt using
his usual stand up bass, but wait who is on the extra drum set??  it looks like fish!!  the
popping snare sounds very familiar, sure enough trey started introducing the band, Jen had a very
large cheer, Dave Grippo, Tony, and Johhny B. Funk Fishman!!! it is him!!!  wow.  vacuum solo!!??
drum duel!!??  everyone started going crazy!!

SMALL AXE very spacy!!  I know a little while ago they did an instrumental of Lively Up Yourself
but this tune was so great to hear pushed some very nice vibes into the crowd and a little reggae
is always so nice.

AT THE BARBECUE Trey and his triangle every time he went to tap it he would face the crowd and
"ting"  a small cheer would come out.  This tune is fairly standard and trey enjoys it but it
doesnt really do much for me.

NOODLE RAVE DADDIO I dont know how much this was played on last tour but Im not familiar with the
tune but realesed at the sets end.

CAYMEN REVIEW!!  unbelievable, Jens vocals are truly amazing and her wammy was amazing with treys.  
Trey stretched the song out and seems like this tour it has been getting jammed longer and more
often.  The light show was right on, even though Kurodas 360 degree lights are missing this tour.  
but this song was moving, fast, groovy, definately tight.  The crowd went berzerk.  I hear the
familiar drum sticks going together and was thinking that by the groove of this show , that was
going to shake that thing right down to Mozambique.

but FIRST TUBEoh my god!!  This was the point of orgazm the energy was just overflowing the place
Trey was feeding off the crowd and he started to solo , he was jamming so hard!!  the groove was
getting thicker, faster , and everyone was dancing so hard, Trey was laughing and sticking out his
tongue.  His head went down and the tempo was moving faster and harder.  The lights were
unbelievable the groove was tight and trey was feedbacking and soloing like a machine.  I was
sweating and definately needed a break!!  Everyone was so exhuasted!!  This Tube was definately
being talked about after the set and It was definately the best First Tube Ive EVER heard!!!  You
could definately tell this is russel Lawton favorite tune!!  Definately get this show.

Set2!! I was already pleased and sweaty and was psyched about the next set, It seemed the place
needed to cool down and everyone needed a seat after the exhaustion of the heat.  The band took
advantage of the crowd and went to work with QUANTEGY very melodic, drifty, slow and flowing, by
this time it was dark and the lights came on shining onto the tent with purple w/yellow cracks
through the design.  After a long spacy quentegy we were ready to groove.  The drum sticks came
together surprisingly and LAST TUBE!!  unbelieveable!! both tubes!!  trey was so pumped!!  This
Performing Arts Center worked great with this tune.  The "center sky is ether tumbling through"  
was sung in a little lower volume and harmonically bounced aorund.  they started grooving and the
horns slowly dropped out and the feedback came.  Unbelievable, Cyro and Ray were tremendous!!  I
think All of a sudden reds, greens, yellows, were floating around Glowstick War!!!!  I got lost in
the glow sticks and the jam and started to hear that familiar hi-hat and languedoc solo.  thats
phish!!  But it wasnt.  Trey was turned facing Bob Weaver and they started jamming together!!  
magnifiscent, The crowd went absolutely nuts!! everyone was screaming!!!  Wow, This show was
definately moving up my favorite show list, thats THE WAY I FEEL!!  a great tune.  I finally felt
a little of what those lyrics meant.  very solid, melodic, jammy, and definately spaced.  Cyro was
waving a glownecklace around.  And Trey started laughing.  They moved for a while with the crowd
and started to slow down and then like a sensory overload the horns were screaming!! MR.
COMPLETELY
 The horns are so tight and and everyone is growing together and i know why trey felt so pumped
for this tour.  Man we were dancing so hard the jam got heavier, faster, and stronger.  Treys
Digital Delay Loop circled around us then picked us up.  We surrenedered to the flow and the
strobe lights were on while the jam was at incredible heights before it suddenly dropped us right
into a drum duel with Fishman, Lawton, and Cyro.  The band left the stage including Trey and I was
curious how long this would go on for.  Incredible very nice and the sight of them jamming was
beautiful Fishman looked so happy, and the crowd loved it.  I think it wa about seven minutes
before the band came on and Lawtons sticks were struck together!!  Not Again!!??  Yes.  Lets
Groove. SAND!!!!!  Just Look at this setlist!!!  I would kill for a soundboard copy of this!!!  
This song can go on for 25 minutes and i was hoping it would!!  They did play excellent and Tony
was amazing with Russ Cyro and Fishman!!  a beatiful version and everyone was grooving and dancing
caveman style!  The song ended and Ive never heard a crowd erupt like this before.  Seriously the
band left for about thirty seconds and the decibal level didnt drop!!  The place was shaking.  
Banging on the seats and screaming.  a predicted Encore Moesha.  "My Trucks to slow to make it up
to Buffalo"  Was a whats up to the locals and there was a big cheer. Moesha was incredible Jens
voice is tremendous and the groove was on this night.  People were still wanting more and finally
the lights came on.  I was exhuasted.  The next day I had bruises on my legs from groovin up and
down poundin' on those invisble bongos.  I cant wait to get this!!  Definately A SICK SHOW!! A++
Get this show.  Sorry for all of those who needed to go to RCMH and lost out on this set but hey
you win some and you win some.  snowflakesand@aol.com


Date: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 17:48:13 -0700 (PDT) From: terry keith ttk420@yahoo.com Subject: darien(tab tour 2002) i admit this is my first post EVER about any phish or phish related show so don't mind my ramblings. i have seen the boys ALOT and trey almost 20(6 this summer). i have to say that it is so nice to see trey's band come together so well and see him have such a good time. back when tab started in 1999, it seemed the band relied so much on trey and his guitar(some would say well into last summer)that it is awesome to see trey take his guitar off so much in a show and just have plain old fun with a BAND. i think if you took the time to listen you'll find yourself quite moved and maybe humming a few bars the next day. after seeing the vegas shows(half empty thomas and mack, who would have thought?)i have to admit they have to be kept aside from the rest of the shows i saw(just get the discs). detroit was great. cleveland was very full of energy. pittsburg was a notch down on the pole, but darien was a show for the masses. it just seemed like with phishman:> on stage, the music just flowed like someone forgot to turn the hose off. every song went somewhere and once again our pal trey was dancing, smiling and grooving just like the rest of us. so to make this short, i hope all of us in the phamily caught at least one show, if not more. and i hope the time you spent listening, dancing, etc. was well worth the money you paid. seeing page on stage with trey in vegas and phishman in darien, good things are coming out of the hiatus and maybe, just maybe we will be thanking phish for taking the time to do whatever they are doing in this time of relaxation. peace, tk. p.s., if you haven't heard about the reunion on nov 17th(i said rumor), trey did tell us in vegas that 17 is the lucky number to bet on. i will leave the rest to you to peruse in you heads, because some will take this completey to another level. peace.
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 19:52:37 -0400 From: Timothy Gale tgale@stny.rr.com Subject: Trey Anastasio Darien Lake Review What a show!  This chilly June night at Darien Lake proved to me yet again that I will never grow tired of listening to and watching Trey perform.  Yes, it was raining in western NY on and off again throughout the day, but we got to the lot at around 4 in the afternoon, not a drop of rain in site, just a little cold, and the nice, relaxed (yet there was a great, energetic vibe afloat) crowd made it all the better.  My buddies I went up with didn't have tickets, they bought 'em at the box office, and got 17th row, awesome seats, which were better than my mid-level mail order ticket, I wonder how that could happen...  Anyway, We got into the show, and wham!!....  11 people walk onstage, one of them being special guest drummer Jon Fishman!!  What a surprise!!  I honestly couldn't believe it, 2 sit-down drummers on full kits and Cyro beating the hell out of all his toys onstage, it was a tour de force of percussion and sound.  The band was so tight, they fed off of the crowd as much as we fed off of them, the energy was there, and this small, tight crowd made it all the better.  And of course, Fishman rolled out some classic riffs you would expect, him and Trey had a couple of duels throughout the night that were just crazy, and they teased the hell out of some tunes;  Stash, Mound, I thought I might've heard some PYITE in there too, my buddies missed the teases, some of the people around me definitely heard them, and Trey's stuff, well, obviously it was awesome.   The jamming gets better and better with this band, I wish I could've seen more shows this summer, the 2 I have been to were great, and I always ask myself why the tour hasn't drawn the packed houses like I expected it would.  Yeah, the setlists are a little repetive, but it's great, groovy, fun music that has so much improv jamming, and Trey has been wailing on the guitar allot, I can't wait to get a copy of this on disc.  The opening song, "Simple Twist up Dave", was a delight to hear, we heard them play it during soundcheck when we were hanging out in the lot, and was giddy as a little school kid when they opened up with it .  Other highlights for me were of course, First and Last Tube, a killer Sand, and that song that just moves me, Cayman Review.  I swear, when Jen Hartswick sings the backup to Trey (might go down eeeeeasssaaayyyy...!!!), it gives me shivers down my spine every time.  Don't know why, it just does, I could hear that song at every Trey show and be stoked every time.  Again, I would love a copy of this on disc, I got some nice shows to trade if anyone out there who is reading this has it (just email me), but this Darien show was the icing on my Trey cake.  It sucks that allot of people decided to just not go, cause you missed out if you bailed on this show...   Jim runawayjim22@yahoo.com
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 2002 10:31:00 -0400 From: drkazley@acsu.buffalo.edu Subject: REVIEW Wow....i saw two shows last summer of the TAB tour....merriweather and saratoga...both great....however, this band has found away (the new additions help) to make leaps forward....the playing was tight all night....small crowd, but everyone seemed to be having a fantastic time....i can think of one word to describe the bands onstage presence..."electrifying"...there was so much energy coming from the stage...it was hard not to be swept away by it...trey seemed to be enjoying himself and the band more than anyone....obviously, fishman sitting in for the ENTIRE show was a bonus....he laughed pretty hard at some of trey's onstage "antics"....the sand to close out the second set was unreal...it seemed really long AND PROBABLY WAS....it ended with a trey and fish jam w/trey's back to the crowd looking at fish....great...the horns also seem to have gotten tighter with another year's worth of rehearsals...there were, at least from my perspective, many phish teases throughout the night...i distinctly remember a stash tease...could this be building towards something?!?!?!.....one can only hope right???....in the mean time, this tour of trey's band is fun, fun, fun....thanks to trey and his band for a wonderful evening....ONTO MERRIWEATHER!!!!..
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